Vending machine for newspapers and the like



Oct. 28, 1958 M. c. WILLIAMS ET AL 2,858,047

VENDING MACHINE FOR NEWSPAPERS AND THE LIKE Filed May 5, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet l N L- V fi E; F| E 2 757/ mvsu-roas THO/W45 TODD BUCK HAM MAHLON CHRI$77AN WILLIAMS 5v 7& ATTORNEYS I Oct. 28, 1958 M. c. WILLIAMS ET AL 2,858,047

VENDING MACHINE FOR NEWSPAPERS AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-:Sheet 2 Filed May 5, 1952 mvsmons IF/OM45 700D BUCK/MM MAHLON (.ll'R/S'I'MN W/LLHMS av I I a ATTORNEYS Oct. 28, 1958 M. c. WILLIAMS ET AL 2,858,047

VENDING MACHINE FOR NEWSPAPERS AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 5, ,1952

INVENTORS THOms 70.00 BUCKHAH IIAHLON CHRIS'TTM/ WILL/4M5 Oct. 28, 1958 M.- c. WILLIAMS ET AL 2,353,047

VENDING MACHINE FOR NEWSPAPERS AND THE LIKE Filed May 5, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 mvem-ons THOMAS T000 BWKMM MAHLON CHRIST/AN WILL/4N5 United States Patent VENDING MACHINE FOR NEWSPAPERS AND THE LIKE Mahlon Christian Williams, North Vancouver, British Columbia, and Thomas Todd Buckhana, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Application May 5, 1952, Serial No. 286,052

4 Claims. (Cl. 221-413) This invention relates to a vending machine for newspapers, magazines and the like.

Numerous coin-controlled machines have been developed for vending newspapers, but these have not proven very satisfactory. They have not been reliable, and have torn the papers. One of the chief difficulties lies in the fact that the newspapers are not always the same thickness. For example, week-end editions are usually much thicker and heavier than the week day papers.

The main purpose of this machine is to vend newspapers of any thickness whatsoever. It is even possible to mix thick and thin papers without interfering with the operation of the machine. The machine will discharge one paper only each time it is operated, and that paper will not be damaged.

In this machine, the papers to be vended are placed on a platform and resiliently pressed against a stop by means of a supporting plate extending upwardly from the platform. The stop is not very high relative to, the papers and has a step at the top thereof. When the operating handle is turned, a plurality of needles are driven into the outermost paper bearing against the stop, and these needles lift the lower edge of the paper up on to the step at the top of the stop. As soon as this is done, a scoop lifts the paper oif the stop and directs it into a discharge chute, from which it may be withdrawn from the machine. The handle operates the mechanism while it is being drawn from its at rest position to a certain point and then returned to the original position. Suitable means is provided for preventing the handle from returning to the at rest position without moving through the entire cycle. Machines of this nature are usually coin-controlled, but as the control mechanism does not form part of the invention, it is not shown or described herein.

An example of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the vending machine with part of the near wall of the casing broken away,

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of the vending mechanism removed from the casing,

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the mechanism,

. Figure 4 is a side elevation of the removed mechanism with part thereof broken away,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on the line 6--6 of Figure 3,

Figure 7 is a fragmentary elevation of the side of the mechanism opposite to that shown in Figure 4,

Figure 8 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 3 showing the elevating needles at rest, and

Figures 9 to 12 are sectional views taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 3 illustrating the discharge of a paper from the mechanism, and following Figure 8 in sequence.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, 10 is a casing of any desired shape having a relatively large cover 11 mounted thereon and connected thereto by one or more 2,858,047 Patented Oct. 28, 1958 fl,- u hinges 12. This cover is designed to be pivoted upwardly to permit the insertion and removal of newspapers from the casing. If desired, the cover may have a window 13 in the front wall thereof. A support 14 extends from the front to the back of the casing at the bottom thereof spaced inwardly from each of its sides. Each support has two or more notches 15 in its upper edge.

The actual mechanism 2d for handling the newspapers is mounted in the casing in any desired manner. In this example, the mechanism includes a supporting frame comprising vertical sides 24 and 25 secured to and projecting upwardly from two or more transverse bars 26, each having heads 27 secured to and spaced outwardly from reduced portions 28 at their opposite ends. The forward edges 3% and 31 of the sides 24 and 25 are curved, as clearly shown in Figures 1, 4 and 7. Supporting plates 33 and 34 are spaced inwardly from the sides and are substantially the same shape as the latter, having curved front ends 35 and 36. These supporting plates are secured and extend upwardly from the bars 26. If desired, intermediate supporting plates 40 and 41 may be secured to the front bar 26 between the supporting plates 33 and 34 and the adjacent sides. The intermediate supporting plates do not extend to the back of the mechanism, and they have curved forward ends 42 and 43.

The curved ends 30, 42, 35, 36, 43 and 31 of the sides and supporting plates are all the same shape and in line with each other. The front wall 48 of the casing 10 is spaced outwardly from the forward ends of the sides and supporting plates to form a discharge passage 49, see Figure 1. This discharge passage opens outwardly and downwardly at 50 over a tray 51 supported by the casing.

When the mechanism 20 is placed in casing 10, the reduced portions 28 of the transverse bars 26 fit into the notches 15 of the supports 14, the heads 17 being located outside the supports at this time, as shown in Figure 1. With this arrangement, the mechanism may be removed from the casing merely by lifting it off supports 14.

An operating shaft 55 extends transversely of the machine and is journaled in the sides 24 and 25, said shaft having an operating handle 56 fixedly mounted thereon at one end thereof outside the casing 10. Stop pins 57 and 58 are provided on the casing wall for limiting the forward and rearward movement of the handle, see Figure 1. A lever 61 is fixedly mounted on the operating shaft and projects upwardly therefrom between the casing wall and side 24, see Figure 4. A curved rack 62 extends outwardly from this lever and has spaced gaps 63 and 64 in the teeth thereof. The centre of the curve of the rack coincides with the longitudinal axis of the shaft 56, and a pawl 66 is pivotally mounted adjacent the rack. When the lever 56 is in the at rest position bearing against the stop pin 57, the pawl projects into the gap 63, and when the lever is moved forwardly, the pawl rides over the rack teeth but Will not permit the lever to move back towards the at rest position until it swings into the gap 64. At this time, the lever has engaged. the stop pin 58. When the lever is moved in the opposite direction, the pawl rides over the rack teeth in the opposite direction, but will not permit the lever to be moved back towards the stop pin 58 until it reaches the gap 63.

A link 69 extends from the upper end of the lever 61 to another lever 70 fixed to and projecting upwardly from a main shaft 71, said shaft being journalled in the side 24 and supports 33 and 40, see Figure 3. With this connection, rotation of the operating shaft is transferred to the main shaft.

Another lever 73 extends rearwardly and downwardly from the shaft 71 and is connected at its outer end by a link 74 to a lever 75 extending rearwardly and downwardly from a secondary shaft 76. This secondary shaft 3 is journalled in the side 24 and supporting plates 33, 34, 4 and 41, see Figuresl and 3.

A platform 79 is supported between the sides 24 and 25 in any desired manner, said platform preferably, although not necessarily, sloping downwardly from the front towards the back of the machine. In this example, the forward edge of the platform terminates back of the forward edges of the supporting plates, and is supported by notches therein. Figure shows a large notch 81 in the supporting plate 34 in which a bar 82 extending along the underneath surface of the forward edge of the platform rests. Supporting plate 33 is clearly shown in Figure 8 with a notch 81a corresponding to notch 81 of plate 34. The back of the platform has a downwardly extending flange 83, which fits into notches in the supporting plates 33 and 34, a notch 84 being shown in the plate 33 for this purpose, see Figure 4. When it is desired to remove the plate, it is only necessary to lift it out of the recesses 31 at its forward edge and the notches 84 at its rearward edge.

A vertical supporting plate 37 projects outwardly from the platform and is movable therealong in any convenient manner. One way of doing this is to provide a shaft 88 just below and supported by the platform and extending from the front to the back thereof. A carriage 89 is slidably mounted on this shaft and projects upwardly through a slot 90 extending from the front to the back of the platform. This carriage surrounds the shaft and has grooved rollers 91 and 92 engaging the shaft above and below the latter, see Figures 2 and 5. A pivot pin 94 projects outwardly from the carriage and has a bearing 95 rotatably mounted thereon to which a base 96 is connected. The supporting plate 87 is connected adjacent its lower end to the forward end of the base at 97, and if desired, an adjustable brace 98 may extend upwardly from the rearward end of the base to a lug 99 secured to the supporting plate spaced downwardly from the upper edge thereof, see Figure l.

The carriage 89 and, consequently, the supporting plate 87, are resiliently urged towards the front edge of the platform in any convenient manner. For example, an elongated coil spring 103 may be mounted beneath the platform in any desired manner. One end of this spring is anchored at 104 while the opposite end is rotatably mounted on a support 1&5, see Figure 6. A small drum 106 is also rotatably mounted on the support 1135 and is connected to the adjacent end of the spring. One end of a cable 109 is fixedly connected to the drum, said cable being wound around the drum and extending around a pulley 110 to a lug 111 projecting downwardly from the rearward end of the carriage 89, see Figure 5. When the carriage and the supporting plate are moved towards the back of the machine, the cable is drawn off the drum, turning the latter and the spring 1113. This tightens the spring which tends to wind the cable back on to the drum. As a result of this, the supporting plate is drawn to the front edge of the platform unless there is some obstruction preventing this.

It is desirable to provide some sort of catch at the rear of the platform in order to hold the carriage back there when newspapers are being stacked on the platform. When the carriage is moved to the back of the platform, a catch 115 resiliently mounted thereon by means of a spring 116 rides over the top of a guide 118 supported on the back of the platform by means of a bracket 119, see Figure 4. When the catch reaches the rearward end of the guide, it drops down into a notch 129. This prevents the carriage supporting plate from being moved forwardly. slightly, the catch 115 engages the lower side of a lug 122 which is pivotally mounted at 123, said lug being free to pivot upwardly. At this time, the catch is clear of thenotch 120 and the resiliency of spring 116 pulls the catch downwardly clear of the guide and its notch. The

If the supporting plate is moved rearwardly 4 supporting plate is thus released and is moved forwardly by spring 103.

A plurality of spaced apart transversely substantially aligned inclined stops or stop plates 128 are supported by the plates 33, 34, 4d and 41. Each of these stops or stop plates is bent over at its upper edge to form a step 129. It will be noted that there are four of these steps shown in Figure 2, and that the two inner stops are positioned slightly closer to theback of the machine than the two outer stops. When there are no papers in the machine, and the supporting plate 87 is not locked at the rear of the platform, said plate bears against the stop plates, as clearly shown in Figure 5. When a plurality of newspapers 132 are placed on edge on the platform, the supporting plate presses them against the stop plates firmly to hold them in position at their lower edges, when the newspapers rest against the inclined plate 87, see Figure 9.

When it is desired to load the machine, the cover 11 is swung upwardly, where it is held in position by suitable supporting means, not shown. The supporting plate 87 is moved to the rear of the platform 79 until the catch springs into the notch of the guide 118 to hold it in this position. Once the newspapers have been placed on the platform and leaned against the supporting plate, the latter is moved rearwardly sufficiently to release the catch, after which the spring 103 draws the supporting plate forwardly to press the papers against the stop plates 128. The cover is then moved into the closed position. As the supporting plate slopes backwardly, see Figure 1, the papers naturally rest against it when they are placed in the machine. There is no danger of them falling forwardly when the machine is being loaded.

A paper lifting arrangement 136 is provided on the secondary shaft 76 adjacent each side of the machine. In this example, there is one of these arrangements between the supporting plates 33 and 40, and another between the supporting plates 34 and 41. As these lifting arrangements are exactly the same, one only will now be described in detail.

The lifting arrangement 136 includes a pair of spaced arms 138 and 139 fixed to and extending downwardly from the secondary shaft, said arms carrying a horizontal rod 140 at their outer ends. A sleeve 141 is rotatably ,mounted on this rod between the arms and has a plurality of needles 142 projecting outwardly therefrom. A spring 143 is wound around this sleeve and has one end connected thereto, the other end 144 thereof extending upwardly to bear against the shaft 76, see Figure 8. This spring is so wound that it tends to turn the sleeve and swing the needles in a clockwise direction. Suitable means is provided for normally maintaining the needles in a substantially horizontal position. these needles on a stop 146 extending between the supporting plates 33 and 40 to hold said needles in a substantially horizontal position against the pressure of the spring. By referring to Figure 8, it will be noted that the outer ends of the needles normally lie below th level of the steps 129. A lug 148 is secured to and projects outwardly from the sleeve 141 in line with the needles but on the opposite side of the sleeve. This lug is long enough to engage the shaft 76 when the needles are swung into a position substantially in line with the supporting arms 138 and 139, see Figure 9.

Referring particularly to Figures 8 to 12, when the secondary shaft 76 is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction, the outer ends of the arms 139 move upwardly.

During the first part of this movement, the needles are: retained against the stop 146 by spring 143, but they move rearwardly straight into the newspaper 132 which is hearing against the stop plates 128 making their maximum penetration at this time. When the needles are in the position shown in Figure 9, the lug 148 engages shaft 76 to prevent the sleeve 141 from turning This may be done by resting the outer ends of any further on the rod 140. It will be noted that the portions of the paper bearing against the stops 128 are pressed back therefrom at this time. As the secondary shaft continues to rotate, the needles penetrate the paper and the lug 148 engaging shaft 76 holds said needles in the paper during the lifting thereof. This action lifts the lower edge of the paper above the level of the steps 129, at which time the supporting plate 87 moves forwardly until the next paper engages the stop plates 128 or the supporting plate itself bears against the latter. As the paper is clear of the stops during the greater part of this lifting movement, the friction is kept to a minimum. All this action is caused by the operating lever 56 being moved from its normal at rest position until it engages the stop pin 58. When the operating lever is returned to its normal position, the sleeve 141 pivots around its carrying rod so that the needles move downwardly, and when the paper rests on the steps, the needles are withdrawn from the paper and slide down the latter, after which spring 143 returns them to their position against the stop 146. The needles are thus withdrawn through the holes originally made in the paper without further tearing it, which would be the case if they continued moving around the axis of shaft 76 rather than returning to the original position by movement in the opposite direction. Furthermore, the springs 143 are comparatively weak so that the paper is not torn when said needles are withdrawn therefrom.

As previously stated, the rotation of the operating shaft 55 causes the main shaft 71 to rotate. A lever 154 is fixed to and extends forwardly and upwardly from the main shaft adjacent its inner end, see Figures 3 and 5. The outer end of this lever is connected by a link 155 to the upper and outer corner 156 of a triangular rocker 157 which is rotatably mounted at its lower corner upon a stub shaft 158 extending inwardly from the supporting plate 33. The inner upper corner 162 of the rocker is connected by a curved link 163 to the back of an elongated scoop 164 which is swingably mounted adjacent its lower edge on the secondary shaft 76 between the supports 33 and 34. The linkage described normally retains this scoop in a substantially vertical position as shown in Figures 3, 5 and 8.

When the operating handle 56 is drawn towards the stop pin 58, the outer end of lever 154 is drawn downwardly by the counter-clockwise movement of the main shaft 71. This causes the rocker 157 to rotate outwardly and downwardly. As the curved link 163 is connected to the rocker and the scoop, the latter is drawn inwardly and downwardly at the same time. Figure 9 shows the scoop half way down, and Figure shows it in its lowermost position, at which time the operating lever has engaged the stop pin 58. Thus, while the needles 142 are lifting a paper on to the steps 129, the scoop is being moved downwardly into a position below said steps. When the operating lever is moved in the opposite direction towards its normal position, the scoop moves upwardly and lifts the paper off the steps, see Figures 11 and 12. The scoop lifts the paper upwardly and forwardly and by the time it reaches its uppermost position, the paper slides into the discharge chute 50 of the casing 10 and drops down on to the support 51, from which it may be removed by the person operating the handle. The linkage for moving the scoop 164 to its normal uppermost position is such that the scoop is given a flip towards the end of its travel to ensure the paper being discharged into the chute.

Most newspapers are folded at the centre and rest on the folded edges as shown in Figures 9 to 12. As the two inner stops 128 are spaced a little closer to the back of the machine than the two outer stops 128, the folded edge of the paper bearing against the stops is bent or kinked at the inner stops, that is, said edge bends towards the outer stops. This prevents the outer sheets 6 of the paper penetrated by the needles from moving relative to the other sheets during the lifting movement.

If desired, a dampener may be provided for preventing the operating handle 56 from being moved too rapidly. One way of doing this is to provide a vane 168 which may be rotated in the air at high speed during movement of the handle, see Figures 2 and 7. This vane is mounted on the end of a shaft 169 connected by gears 170 and 171 to another shaft 172 which, in turn, is connected by gears 173 and 174 to the operating shaft 55. With this arrangement, the vane turns many times for each revolution of the operating shaft. The resistance of the air to the turning of the vane provides a dampener for the shaft and the operating handle.

What we claim as our invention is:

l. A machine for vending newspapers and the like, comprising a platform upon which a plurality of papers may be placed on edge, a stop at one end of the platform, means for pressing the papers towards the stop, an operating shaft rotatably mounted in the machine, an operating handle for rotating the shaft, a plurality of pins adjacent the stop, means operated by rotation of the shaft in one direction for moving the pins into a paper against the stop and raising it clear of the latter, rotation of the shaft in the opposite direction withdrawing the pins and allowing the paper to rest on the stop, and means operated by rotation of the shaft in said opposite direction for engaging the raised paper and discharging it from the machine.

2. A machine for vending newspapers and the like, comprising a platform upon which a plurality of papers may be placed on edge, a stop at one end of the platform, means for pressing the papers towards the stop, an operating shaft rotatably mounted in the machine, an opcrating handle for rotating the shaft, a plurality of pins adjacent the stop, means operated by rotation of the shaft in one direction for moving the pins into a paper against the stop and raising it clear of the latter, rotation of the shaft in the opposite direction withdrawing the pins and allowing the paper to rest on the stop, and a scoop operated by rotation of the shaft in said opposite direction for engaging the lower edge of the raised paper to free it from the pins and discharge it from the machine.

3. A machine for vending newspapers and the like,

' comprising .a platform upon which a plurality of papers may be placed on edge, a plurality of spaced stops at the front end of the platform and projecting upwardly therefrom, said stops being arranged in pairs with one of each pair positioned slightly closer to the back of the machine than the other, means for pressing the papers on the plat form towards the stops with the outermost paper resting thereagainst, this pressing of the papers causing the outermost paper to kink as it bends around the stops closer to the back of the machine in order to reach the forward stops, an operating shaft rotatably mounted in the machine, an operating handle for rotating the shaft, a plurality of pins adjacent the stops, means operated by rotation of the shaft in one direction for moving the pins into a paper against the stops and raising it clear of the latter, rotation of the shaft in the opposite direction withdrawing the pins and allowing the paper to rest on the stops, and means operated by rotation of the shaft in said opposite direction for engaging the raised paper and discharging it from the machine.

4. A machine for vending newspapers and the like comprising a platform upon which a plurality of papers may be placed on edge, a stop at one end of the platform, means for pressing the papers towards the stop, a horizontal shaft supported adjacent the outermost paper against the stop approximately parallel with said paper, spaced arms fixedly connected to the shaft and extending downwardly therefrom, a horizontal rod carried by the arms spaced from the shaft, a sleeve rotatably mounted on the rod, at least one needle projecting outwardly from the sleeve, means normally maintaining the needle in a substantially horizontal plane clear of said outermost paper and extending towards the latter, said sleeve and needle swinging downwardly relative to the arms when the: latter are swung upwardly towards the paper by rotation of .the shaft in one direction, means connected to the needle for stopping its relative movement after the arms have swung upwardly a predetermined distance, whereby the first part of .the upward swing of the arms drives the needle horizontally into the outermost paper and the second part of the swing when the relative movement of the needle is stopped lifts the needle upwardly to raise the paper clear of the stop, rotation of the shaft in the opposite direction withdrawing the pins and allowing the paper to rest on the stop, and means operated by rotation of the shaft in said opposite direction for engaging the raised paper and discharging it from the machine.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,042,010 Lang Oct. 22, 1912 1,057,971 Marrs Apr. 1, 1913 1,187,435 Lightburne June 13, 1916 8 T:.-:?-. -.-:--:T g A1 8- 2 V V V S pt- 1 Chestnut et a1 Sept. 21,; Peterson Mar. 13, Scott Feb. 24, Laughlin July 7, Whiting June 20, Sampson Jan. 29, Laughery June 7, Cameron Aug. 21, Cameron Mar. 21, Hatcher et al. Dec. 9, Wagner June 29, Harris et al. Nov. 1, Laird Dec. 30, Summerfield June 6, Lindstrom et al. Sept. 12, Aubertin Feb. 19,

FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Nov. 16, France Mar. 31, 

